If the Steelers intend to compete for a Tremendous Bowl, it’s not simply the offensive facet that wants addressing. Whereas their protection began off the season effectively, they wound up among the many bottom-feeders. Of their final 5 video games, they allowed 27.4 factors per recreation and 397.2 yards. The Steelers knew their protection would wish to shoulder the load, but it surely buckled when wanted most.
And the Steelers wanted their protection to step up towards Ravens RB Derrick Henry, who dominated them twice in a month. Whereas they dealt with him fairly effectively of their first assembly, he put the damage on them in two important video games. And that’s the entire downside personified, Gerry Dulac informed Wealthy Eisen on Thursday.
“The [Steelers] protection has been a horrible disappointment on this stretch. You permit 299 yards to the Ravens within the postseason?” Dulac stated. “I hark again to the times of James Farrior and Casey Hampton and Brett Keisel. If Derrick Henry ran for 162 two yards towards these guys, three weeks later he’d be fortunate to get 30.”
Dulac refers back to the Steelers defenses beneath former DC Dick LeBeau, whose models routinely ranked among the many league leaders. That was a unique period, in fact, however they nonetheless had Derrick Henry-type operating backs. Maybe not at all times with a Lamar Jackson, although Chris Johnson had Vince Younger.
‘Their function could be ‘He ain’t gonna try this to us once more,’” Dulac stated of the Steelers’ mentality of previous after a efficiency like Derrick Henry had in Week 16. “What does he do? He comes again with 186. To me, that’s unconscionable. I don’t understand how that occurs. However I feel that’s type of symptomatic and emblematic of what’s occurred with the protection right here within the second half of the season. Their incapability to cease the run.”
The Steelers ranked first in yards allowed quite a few occasions beneath LeBeau, with run protection usually being the driving drive. Due to gamers like Hampton, even the elite backs like Derrick Henry of at present would have struggled to maneuver the ball.
From 2004 by means of 2012, the Steelers posted three of the ten lowest speeding yardage totals allowed within the NFL. Their 1,004 yards allowed in 2010 was second solely to the Vikings’ 2006 complete of 985. That was the one 12 months Mike Tomlin served because the Vikings’ defensive coordinator, incomes the Steelers’ head teaching job a 12 months later.
In that span, the Steelers gave up the fewest speeding yards, simply 12,298 over a nine-year interval. The subsequent closest was the Baltimore Ravens, who now have Derrick Henry, permitting 13,498 yards. Solely 5 groups allowed beneath 15,000 yards in that span.
This 12 months, granted with a 17-game schedule, the Steelers allowed 1,678 yards on the bottom. That also ranked because the sixth finest within the league, however in addition they confronted the sixth fewest speeding makes an attempt. In fact, Derrick Henry accounted for a superb chunk himself. Together with the postseason, he rushed for 413 yards towards the Steelers in 2024.
